learning to juggle

I'm at one ball...working on it. I have lost a lot of peripheral vision from glaucoma so it's interesting to learn to catch without really seeing the ball. The instructions I have say to stay focused on the arc straight ahead. At the moment I'm getting the most exercise from chasing after the ball when I drop it but it's definitely getting easier to catch.

Other places on the web say....

Juggling is a truly portable workout.
It makes you smarter.
It sharpens focus & concentration.
Juggling is the ultimate in stress relief.
It’s an exercise that doesn’t ‘feel’ like exercise.
You can juggle where you are, no travel required!
Juggling maintains and increases range of motion in the arms and shoulders.
It is one of the best ways to improve coordination.
Juggling is beneficial for all age groups and body types.
Helps ward off cravings.
Juggling makes exercising with family and friends easy.

Research also suggests it may prevent Alzheimer’s disease, making it a great choice for brain fitness. When you juggle, you’re not only burning calories, toning your body and strengthening your core, you’re exercising your mind as well. This is why there’s no need to worry about how long it takes you to learn how to juggle – you’re still burning calories and boosting your brainpower. In fact, the longer it takes you to learn, the more you are exercising your mind!

Juggling is the ultimate in stress relief. When you are learning to juggle, you are immediately absorbed in the activity. It’s almost impossible to think of anything but the task at hand. This makes it a great way to escape any worries, stress, hardships, or anything that might be hanging over your head.

"We're all just walking each other home." -Ram Dass
"Be a lamp, or a lifeboat, or a ladder."-Rumi
“When it is understood that one loses joy and happiness in the attempt to possess them, the essence of natural farming will be realized. The ultimate goal of farming is not the growing of crops, but the cultivation and perfection of human beings.”
― Masanobu Fukuoka, The One-Straw Revolution

When I was a kid I could juggle three items. I never got to tumbling items like bowling pins, but I could do tennis balls or bean bags and such. The biggest obstacle for me to overcome when learning to juggle is each toss inadvertently going forward, which meant I had to walk to maintain a juggle. Learning how to make a toss go directly to the side and land in my other hand was the trick. I guess I went too many decades without doing it and I have since lost the ability to maintain a stationary juggle.

"Study books and observe nature; if they do not agree, throw away the books." ~ William A. Albrecht

I taught myself to juggle in college, starting with 1 and tossing it up a foot or two and catching it, watching the ball non-stop. Then I stared at a point near the apex of the ball's path, and based on whether it was moving a little left or right, I would adjust my hand to catch it.

Next step was to deliberately have the ball go in the direction of the other hand, and catch it with the other hand. Back and forth with 1 ball this way.

Then I put 1 ball in each hand, and as the first ball reached the apex I would toss the other ball up so I could catch the first, and hopefully catch the second with the first hand. I also would place 2 balls in one hand, toss up the first, then toss up the second to catch the first and create a narrow loop with the path of the two balls. Helps with quick hand movement to keep catching the balls, and with practice you don't toss the balls too far off course. But initially they will go all over the place!

Next step was 3 balls, holding the third in say my left hand as I tossed the other 2 per the previous step in my right hand. Occasionally I would toss 1 across to the left hand, and juggle 2 balls in the left while the right hand got a rest. Once you can toss from one hand to the other and still catch the other free ball, then you just up the rate that you pass the ball back and forth, until you do it every time.

I never went beyond 3 balls, but did vary the sizes or firmness of the objects which adds an extra layer of difficulty.